Column support



Nov. 1, 19 55 COLUMN SUPPORT Filed Nov. 25, 1952 H. B. ALBERS EIAL 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Pi g1 INVENTORS HElNRlCH B.ALBERS & FREDERICK T. MORRISON ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1955 H5. ALBERS ETAL 2,722,144

COLUMN SUPPORT Filed Nov. 25, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS HEINRICH B. ALBERS &

FREDERICK 1'. MOR RISON ATTORNEY Nov. .1, 1955 H. B. ALBERS ETAL 2,722,144

COLUMN SUPPORT Filed Nov. 25, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS HEINRICH B.ALBERS 8- FREDERICK T. MORRISON I ATTORNEY Nov. 1, 1955 H. B. ALBERS ETAL $722,144

COLUMN SUPPORT Filed Nov. 25, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS HEINRICH B. ALBERS & FREDERICK IT MORRISON ATTORNEY United States Patent COLUMN SUPPORT Heinrich B. Albers, Malverne, and Frederick T. Morrison, Forest Hills, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Hydropress Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 25, 1952, Serial No. 322,402

13 Claims. (Cl. 78-13) This invention relates to column supports for presses and the like and particularly for hydraulic type forging presses of relatively large capacity. Such presses are now designed to develop forging pressures on the order of 50,000 tons and more, necessitating special construction of the press components not only because of the high stress developed but also because of manufacturing difiiculties. Thus, for example, in vertical forging presses of this type, it was in certain cases found neces sary to construct the upper and lower crossheads and the connecting columns, which transmit the forces between the crossheads, of laminated sheets or plates. Such construction made it impossible to utilize the round section columns or tie-rods heretofore employed and raised a special problem relating to the mounting of the columns on the crossheads since the usual screwthreaded ends and nuts could no longer be employed.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide means for mounting columns of high capacity forging presses on the crossheads. More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide such mounting which will be characterized by a favorable stress distribution when transmitting the high forging pressures. Such stress distribution will avoid building up points or areas of dangerously high stress which may result in failure of the columns and damage to the entire press.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a mounting for columns, in particular rectangular laminated columns, which will not result in developing abnormal stress in the bearing and the column as the load is applied to the column.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mounting for columns, such as laminated columns, which does not develop dangerously high bending moments in the column.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly sectioned vertically, of a forging press embodying one form of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly sectioned vertically, of the press of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the mounting of the upper end of one column, taken along line 33 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the Fig. 3 column and mounting.

Figs. 5A and 5B are enlarged views, partly in vertical section, of details of the upper column mounting in unloaded and loaded conditions, respectively.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section through another form of column mounting, showing the upper column end.

While the invention is described herein as applied to the mounting or anchoring of forging press columns,

it will be apparent that it. has general application to the mounting of heavy columns or tie-rods, particularly laminated columns of rectangular cross-section. Also, while the invention is described herein as applied to the mounting of vertical columns, it will be apparent that it has application to columns mounted in other positions provided they are subjected to large tensile forces.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a vertical forging press comprising a fixed lower platen 10 having a die support 11, and a movable upper platen 12 having a die support 15. The fixed platen 10 is mounted on a bed structure indicated generally at 22 which rests through supports 23 on a suitable foundation 20 below floor-level 21, while the movable platen 12 is connected to the movable upper crosshead or entablature indicated generally at 14, as described hereinafter. The workpiece to be forged is placed upon a die on the die support 11, and the forging is accomplished by lowering the upper platen to compress the work piece between dies on supports 15 and 11. The upper platen is normally maintained in elevated position by causing cylinders 25 which are fixed to said platen to be lifted on pistons or rams 26 fixed to the lower platen 10. The elevation is achieved by introducing fluid under pressure from a suitable source (not shown) into the cylinders 25.

To move the upper cross-head and platen downwardly toward the lower platen, there are provided a plurality of columns or tie-bars indicated generally at 30 which are connected at one end to the cross-head 14 and connected at the other end to a movable lower crosshead indicated generally at 31. The latter in turn is connected to rams or pistons 32 operating within cylinders 33 fixed to the bed 22. When fluid under pressure is admitted to cylinders 33, rams 32 are forced downwardly, carrying therewith the columns and the upper crosshead, thus applying a force to the work piece.

Extremely high forces on the order of 50,000 and 75,000 tons may be developed between the die supports 11 and 15, and it will be understood that correspondingly large stresses will be developed in the frame of the machine and between the ends of the columns and the column supports through which the pressures are transmitted. To counteract the stresses in the frame structure, the upper crosshead and the bed are constructed of sets of laminations or plates 35, 36, and 37, 38, respectively, extending from front to rear and from right to left, the cylinders 33 being suspended from the plates 37. The lower crosshead 31 is constructed of laminations or plates 39. The columns 30 are formed of sets of laminated plates 34, and have a rectangular cross-section instead of taking the form of the usual circular section rods.

The fact that the columns are not cylindrical creates a special problem in connecting them to the respective crossheads at their ends. The usual threaded ends and nuts obviously cannot be employed, but the columns must nevertheless be so mounted that their supports will withstand the enormous pressures which may be trans mitted through them from the lower crosshead 31 to the upper crosshead 14. The supports must be such that (a) stress is distributed substantially uniformly over a relatively large area; (b) as the force on the columns increases, points of dangerously increased stress peaks will not develop in the supports; and (c) the supports must not place so large a bending moment on the column ends as to create danger of breaking the columns.

To provide column supports having the foregoing characteristics, the column is formed at each end with lateral extensions 40 at two opposite sides thereof to form arcuate or semi-cylindrical surfaces 41, which contact bearing assemblies. In Figs. 3 and 4, the column is indicated diagrammatically in dot and dash lines to show the bearing assembly more clearly.

Each bearing assembly rests upon a support 50 at-- tached to the ends of the respective larninations or plates 35' ('see Fig. 3), 39 (see Fig. l). Each support 50. carries a base member in the form of a wedge indicated generally at 60, the wedge having a surface 65' which slopes downwardly toward the outer end of the respective semi-cylindrical surface 41. A semi-cylindrical bearing member 70 having an arcuate surface 66 is slidable on each inclined surface 65 and by adjusting the position of the bearing. member, contact may be made as desired at any predetermined point, between. the arcuate surface 66' of the bearing member and the arcuate surface 41'. of the colunm. It will. be seen that the radius of. curvature of the bearing member is shorter than the radius of curvature of surface 41 and by positioning the bearing member outwardly until contact is made with the arcuate surface 41 along its outer portion remote from the main body of the column, a gap 67' (see Fig. A) of predetermined. degree is provided along the inner portion of the arcuate surface, that is, adjacent the main body of the column. The purpose of this gap will be clear from Figs. 5A and 5B. In Fig. 5A which shows the unloaded condition of the column, contact is made over a predetermined area with a gap 67 at the inner portion of surface 41. However, when the columns are loaded, each column extension is pulled downwardly under great tension and bending stress so as to cause the material of the column extension to reduce the gap and make contact over a substantially increased area of the bearing member, as shown in Fig. 5B.

In this manner, the gap permits the bearing to take up the increasing stresses on the columns gradually in such a way that contact over a maximum area is established under maximum load.

It should also be noted that it is necessary to provide a fillet-type, rounded design where the extension 40 is connected to the body of the column to avoid stress concentrations in the region 42 (see Fig. 5A). The arcuate surface 41 can readily be joined to, and form part of, the fillet curvature so that the bearing can be arranged close to the body of the column which will reduce bending moments at the extensions 40.

Therefore, the type of bearing according to Figs. 1 to 5 has the following advantages:

(a) distribution of stress over a larger. surface of the bearing member and column extension. This is clearly shown by photoelastic analysis;

(b no dangerously increased points of stress on the column extension when the column is loaded, due; to the gradual closing of the gap between the bearing member and the. column extension;

(a) minimum bending moment because of distributing the stress over a semi-circular surface arranged: close to the body of-the column instead of taking up the stress on a fiat surface extending outwardly a considerable distance from the body of the column.

To facilitate adjustment of the bearing members, turnbuckle connections 69 may be utilized between the bearing members. and central standards 72; Furthermore, the wedges 60 may be moved relative to horizon tal posts 71 which are fixed to the central standards 72 and secured against rotation. Stud-like portions 73 on each post 71 extend through lateral projections 74 of the wedges 6t), and nuts 75, 76 are threaded on portions 73. and each. post 71, respectively. These nuts engage the wedge. projections 74 on opposite sides thereof and may serve for shifting. the wedges. 60 along their posts- Each bearing member 70 has. a line 77 inscribed thereon and the column extensions 40 have corresponding inscribed lines 78..

When. two. associated lines 77 and:

78 are in alignment, the respective gap 67 between column and bearing member has a predetermined size. This required alignment is: obtained by means of the turnbuckle connections 69 and nuts 75, 76. After proper adjustment of all parts, the nuts 75, 76 are tightened to secure the wedges in their positions.

Flanges 79 are provided on the bearing members 7% to prevent any lateral movement of the columns in the axial direction of the bearing members.

Another embodiment of this invention is disclosed in Pig. 6. In this form the column is provided with lateral extensions 40 having fiat surfaces 4]. inclined at an angle to horizontal for engaging the fiat surfaces 81 of bearing members Each bearing member is provided with an arcuate surface 82 adapted to engage a similar surface 83 formed in a base member $4 slidable on the support 50. The base members are shiftable on rods 85 which extend through these base. members and have nuts 86 threaded on their ends 87. To adjust the position of the bearing members 70', the nuts 86 are turned as required and then secured in their positions by suitable locking means (not shown). Each base member 84' with its bearing member 70 thereon is shifted against the adjacent. nut and, when load is applied, is held securely in this position by a component of the forces acting upon the inclined surfaces 81.

In this embodiment, the curvature of the cooperating arcuate surfaces 82' and 83' may' also be such that, in the unloaded condition, contact is made along a. limited are at the outer portions of the arcuate surfaces, leaving a gap at the inner portions adjacent. the main body of the column. When the column is loaded, the gap will be gradually reduced, permitting the bearing member '70 to follow any deformation of the respective column extension 46. This will increase the contact area under load so as to avoid dangerous stress concentrations.

As shown by phot'oelastic analysis, the Fig. 6 form of the invention results in very satisfactory stress conditions similar to those obtained in the embodiment according to Figs. 1 to 5.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. in a press and the like which is subject to large tensile forces, said press including a column having a longitudinal body portion and end members integral therewith extending laterally from said portion in opposite directions in a given plane, a. base member associated with each end member, and a support for each. base member, the improvement which comprises a. bearing for said column positioned on each base member, said bearings being displaced laterally in said plane from the longitudinal axis of the column in opposite directions a distance such that each bearing cooperates only with they respective laterally extending end member, each bearing having one surface cooperating with the respective lateral member and having another surface cooperating with the respective base member, one of said surfaces of the bearing being arcuate and the other of said surfaces being fiat.

2. A column support as specified in claim 1,. in which the surface of the member with which said arcuate surfacev cooperates isalso arcuate.

3. In a press and the like which is: subject. to large tensile forces, said press including, a column, laterally extending members on the column, a base. member associated with each laterally extending member, and a support for each base. member, the improvement which comprises a bearing for said column positioned on each base member, each bearing having one surface cooperating with. the respective lateral member and having another surface cooperating withv the respective base member, one of said surfaces of the: bearing being arcuate and the other of said surfaces being flat, the surface: of the member With which said arcuate surface cooperates being also arcuate.

but oflarger. diameter. than. the arcuate surface of. the bearing;

4. A column support as specified in claim 3, including means for causing said arcuate surfaces to make contact in unloaded condition at a point remote from the main body of the column so as to obtain a gap between the arcuate surfaces adjacent the column.

5. A column support as specified in claim 3, including means for moving the bearing relative to its cooperating members to vary the point of engagement of the cooperating arcuate surfaces.

6. In a press and the like which is subject to large tensile forces, said press including a column having a longitudinal body portion and end members integral therewith extending laterally from said portion in opposite directions in a given plane, a base member associated with each end member, and a support for each base member, the improvement which comprises a bearing for said column positioned on each base member, said bearings being displaced laterally in said plane from the longitudinal axis of the column in opposite directions a distance such that each bearing cooperates only with the respective laterally extending end member, each lateral member having an arcuate surface, each bearing having a fiat surface and 1 an arcuate surface, each arcuate surface of the bearing cooperating with the arcuate surface of the respective lateral member, and each flat surface of the bearing cooperating with the respective base member.

7. A column support as specified in claim 6, in which the arcuate surface of each lateral member is of larger diameter than the cooperating arcuate surface of the bearing.

8. A column support as specified in claim 6, in which the arcuate surface of each lateral member is of larger diameter than the cooperating arcuate surface of the bearing, means being provided for causing the arcuate surfaces of each lateral member and its respective bearing to make contact in unloaded condition at a point remote from the main body of the column so as to obtain a gap between the arcuate surfaces adjacent the column.

9. A column support as specified in claim 6, in which the arcuate surface of each lateral member is of larger diameter than the cooperating arcuate surface of the hearing, means being provided for moving the bearing relative to the respective lateral member to vary the point of engagement of the cooperating arcuate surfaces.

10. In a press and the like which is subject to large tensile forces, said press including a column having a longitudinal body portion and end members integral therewith extending laterally from said portion in opposite directions in a given plane, a base member associated with each end member, and a support for each base member, the improvement which comprises a bearing for said column positioned on each base member, said bearings being displaced laterally in said plane from the longitudinal axis of the column in opposite directions a distance such that each bearing cooperates only with the respective laterally extending end member, each base member having an arcuate surface, each bearing having a flat surface and an arcuate surface, each arcuate surface of the bearing cooperating with the respective base member, and each fiat surface of the bearing cooperating with the respective lateral member.

11. A column support as specified in claim 1, having means for moving the bearing members relative to the base members to vary the positioning of the bearing members.

12. A column support as specified in claim 6, in which each base member has a second flat surface in engagement with the support and at an angle to its other fiat surface to form a wedge, means being provided for moving said wedge on said support relative to said bearing.

13. A column support as specified in claim 10, in which each base member has a flat surface in engagement with the support and at an angle to the cooperating fiat surfaces of the bearing and the laterally extending member, means being provided for moving the base member and bearing on the flat surface of the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 545,758 Aiken Sept. 3, 189 1,580,894 Hummel Apr. 13, 1926 1,653,030 Zeh Dec. 20, 1927 2,452,804 Sulprizio Nov. 2, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 644,980 Great Britain Oct. 18, 1950 

